Shingeki no Mermaids
by DragonPie
Summary: Fourth and Final Shingeki Fairytale. The Rirens get another turn. Unfortunately this doesn't follow the plot much after the first few acts. Agender Hanji. Fourth wall breaking. MASSIVE plot deviation and all-around silliness.


**Posted here exactly as is on AO3 which sadly means no editing.**

Our story begins where any great story starts; the ocean!  
Wait _the ocean?_  
No that can't be right; let me check my notes – oh, it is.  
Hm the ocean – who would've thought?  
And below the mysterious deep blue – oh, we start on top? Okay let me get this right.  
Our story starts with a _prince_ , sailing a top the ocean on a smelly old fishing ship. What he was doing there remains to be seen, but it's integral to the story, no doubt about that.  
"Prince Levi, it's a great haul today isn't it?" The royal advisor, Hanji said. "The mer-king must be in a good mood this afternoon!"  
"Don't be stupid four-eyes," Levi said, "Merpeople don't exist."  
"Ooh, be careful what you say~ the tides can shift at a moment's notice and drown your tiny royal ass," they replied.  
"If that happens I'll be taking you with me."  
The accompanying crew watched on, by now desensitized to the strange relationship.  
Now we'll venture into the ocean where deep, deep, deep – very deep – down at that very moment a young merman was exploring the abandoned wreckage of a ship.  
"Come-on Armin, I'll race you!" he called to his best fish friend.  
He looked back to gloat about his impending victory only to see Armin glide right past him into the cave that had formed around the wreckage.  
"you'll beat me one day," Armin said encouragingly, "just not in a fair race; I'll always be faster than you."  
"Quit showing off," Eren muttered.  
"Oh what are you going to do, cry?"  
"Actually yes. Because when you beat me at stuff it brings up some really painful memories for me," Eren started to fan his face, feigning being upset, "Everybody always says I can't do anything right because I'm the youngest and – are you buying this?"  
The fish gave him a flat look.  
"It never bothers you until I beat you at something."  
"Well if you stop beating me at things –"  
"If you stopped being so useless maybe they wouldn't say those things to you."  
"Now you're being ridiculous."  
Armin could've stood to argue further with the prince but he knew there was no way Eren would ever be respected by his family; they thought he was too odd.  
He was _obsessed_ with the surface! Though nobody besides Armin knew how truly obsessed he was.  
They'd been friends since forever, and Armin had long since stopped trying to protect Eren form his own curiosity. It was hopeless anyway and he found the easiest way to protect him was to follow Eren and make sure he didn't get into too much trouble.  
"Do you think there are sharks around here?" Eren asked, sounding more excited than he should.  
"I hope not," Armin replied, "But if there are they'll catch you before they ever catch me."  
Eren replied by sticking out his tongue.  
They entered the wreckage through a window despite the ship being split in half.  
Surprisingly there were no skeletons or other human remains at all; only a few stray, ominous boxes and ropes scattered around.  
"This seems a little unrealistic," Armin said, always the voice of reason.  
"Oh what would you know? You're a fish!" Eren exclaimed. He continued inwards, not hearing Armin grumbling.  
"So are you."  
After a short while they came to a room covered in ominous ropes and crates with a single object in the center.  
"Hey, I know what that –"  
"Wow I wonder what this is!" Eren yelled over his fishy friend.  
He picked it up, looking at it as though it were the most interesting thing in the world.  
"What do you think?" he asked, pushing the _thing_ into Armin's face.  
The fish had a vast knowledge of the human world for reasons which will not be explained, but because it made no sense for him to have such knowledge he was never taken seriously.  
"I don't know – maybe we should –"  
At that exact moment a shark broke through the bottom of the boat, jaws snapping and teeth glinting with desire to kill.  
"Holy shit!" Eren exclaimed, preparing to grab Armin and swim off only to find that he'd already gone.  
"Stupid unfaithful fish!" Eren hissed.  
"Oi come on!" Armin shouted, swimming back and physically pushing Eren back to the window, shoving him out.  
They managed to trap the shark in the loop of an anchor before long and left the scene victorious.  
"So you were saying?" Eren asked, conveniently forgetting the fact that he'd almost just gotten them both killed.  
"We might have to go to the surface."  
Eren looked up to where the water ended. There was a whole big, magical world out there. He couldn't wait to see it someday, if only he could find a way.  
He and Armin travelled up to the surface, breaking through the water and into the warm sunlight, the roaring wind, up to a small mound of – _land._  
Oh, the surface got more and more beautiful every time he went! He always got so tired of the color blue, but seeing the sky in all its infinite glory, how could he hate it?  
Atop the mound of land only a short swim away, a seagull named Jean sat fiddling with forgotten human belongings.  
"Oi Jean!" Eren called, tossing the object and watching it hit the birds head.  
Now Jean was quite a bit smarter than people would make him out to be, and he and Eren didn't get along as well as people would like to think. Of all of the things Eren had found, not a single one was named properly nor was it's correct function given.  
Jean was an avid watcher of the human race but he enjoyed messing with Eren.  
"So what is it?" Eren asked, swimming to the edge of the mound.  
Using his wings Jean pretended to investigate, having recognized the item immediately.  
"Wow uh, this is something _special_ this is," he said, "Where'd you find this one?"  
" _Jean,"_ Armin said, preparing to scold the other, only to be ignored and interrupted.  
"We were in an abandoned ship, it was really creepy and really dark and we found it just lying there!" Eren said.  
He was always less problematic when he spoke about human things.  
"So what's it called? What's it used for, huh?"  
"Oh well this here, it's called a – a," Jean paused, stringing together the first syllables that came to mind. "It's called a _dinglehopper._ Humans use it to straighten out their hair!"  
To demonstrate Jean reached out to thread it through Eren's hair, pulling purposefully hard when the prongs were caught on a knot.  
"Ow! Stupid horse – _er_ Bird-face!" Eren exclaimed.  
He snatched the item out of Jeans hands.  
"It's your old fault idiot! If your hair wasn't so messy then that wouldn't have happened!"  
"My hair isn't messy, you're just clumsy!"  
They both punctuated their words by swatting at each other until Armin pulled Eren away.  
"Hey I just remembered," he said, "don't you have that thing? That _musical_ thing?"  
Eren's eyes widened to the size of saucers.  
"Oh no! Mikasa's going to kill me!" he said. He turned back to glared a final time at Jean, "I'll get you later," he said before diving into the ocean.  
"Ah, sorry about him," Armin said, "But you really deserve it for that one."  
He dived down too muttering about how ridiculous the notion was, using a _fork_ on your hair.  
At this rate Eren wouldn't last a day on the surface.  
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)  
"What were you thinking, you had me worried sick!" Eren's father – king Erwin – yelled. "I almost had the whole of Atlantis out there looking for you!"  
"Daddy I'm sorry," Eren said, " _I forgot."_  
"Forgot?" this time it was the crab Mikasa who spoke. "You forgot about the single most important moment in my musical career?"  
"Mikasa I'm sorry," Eren said. "It _completely_ slipped my mind!"  
"You were my leading lady!"  
"Hey!"  
"Where we you anyway?" Erwin asked, "I swear if you were off gallivanting with some merboy –"  
"No uh, that's not it at all!" Armin intervened. "We were chased by a shark! Yeah and – and we got away but then there was a seagull and –"  
"What? A – a seagull? Erwin asked, "Don't tell me you went up to the _surface_ again!"  
"Nothing happened," Eren said, glaring at Armin.  
"Eren we've been through this before. You could've been seen by one of those _humans._ They don't understand us," Erwin said, beginning to pace-swim around the room, "they treat Merpeople like some exotic sexual fantasy – who knows what they'd do to _you?"_  
Eren opened his mouth to argue that that wouldn't be so bad but somehow he felt his father wouldn't react the way he wanted. So instead he shut his mouth and swam off. Armin stuck around for a second, intending to apologies before deciding against it and swimming off.  
"That boy – I don't know what I'm going to do with him," Erwin said.  
"He needs somebody to watch over him; to protect him form his own stupidity! Somebody to teach him right from wrong!" Mikasa said.  
"You're right; I should probably talk to Armin –"  
"Okay I'll do it," Mikasa said.  
She swam off before the king could object.  
She followed Eren and Armin to a cave blocked off by a large rock. She watched them move the rock and slip inside the cave before it revealed itself.  
She rushed over and tried to force it open only to stop when she heard singing from inside.  
 _"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat. Wouldn't you think my collections complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl –_ er, boy – _the girl who has everything~"_  
"Oh, _now_ he wants to sing!"  
Everyone under the sea knew Eren had the most beautiful voice of all the sea creatures, so having him perform in one of Mikasa's shows was a dream come true! But he'd blown it off like it was nothing.  
How _dare_ he!  
Mikasa managed to squeeze her head into the cave, seeing Eren and Armin swimming around still singing.  
 _"I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see em' dancing ,walking around on those_  
 _What do you call 'em? Oh, feet!"_  
That was when Mikasa noticed that the cave was full of things from the surface," a whole cavern of underwater contraband.  
There were coral shelves filled form bottom to top with nameless, useless items.  
Oh if the king ever found out –  
This was bad – _very, very bad!_  
 _"Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun~ wandering free, wish I could be, part of that world!"_  
Mikasa tumbled off of one of the shelves – being small was hard – and cut Eren's song to an end.  
"Mikasa! I can explain – oh please don't tell my father!"  
"I won't. but what were you thinking? Don't you know what he would do if he found out?"  
"Something stupid and irrational."  
"Something because he _cares_ for you!"  
"OR an insignificant aspect of me."  
"What aspect? Your tailfins?" Armin asked.  
Both Mikasa and Eren started at him incredulously for a moment – did he really not know?  
"Uh – yeah," Mikasa said slowly.  
If he didn't know now, eh didn't need to.  
Just then a dark shadow passed overhead, catching Eren's attention.  
He swam out of the cave, Armin and Mikasa following closely behind. He swam to the surface, breaking through the water and into the pure, fresh air. His two companions following after him.  
"What's going on here? Mikasa asked.  
Slowly her eyes caught sight of the problem.  
Eren's own eyes were wide open, mouth agape, staring at the huge ship slowly drifting past.  
"Wow," Eren said, "let's go check it out!"  
He was gone before Mikasa could stop him.  
"Wait, Eren somebody might see you!" she called but it was too late.  
Eren was pressed up to the ship, peering onto the deck through a gap in its rails.  
"Get down from there," Mikasa said, having climbed up there herself.  
But Eren didn't listen.  
"I've never seen a person up close before," he said dreamily.  
On the deck there were plenty of them, there was light that seemed to blur through the coming storm and music blaring through the ship.  
One particular human caught his eye – as one was bound to – and Eren let out a dreamy sigh.  
Mikasa followed his gaze.  
"What? Come on, he's not even cute," she said.  
"Well he's no _crab_ ," Eren agreed sarcastically.  
"Right! and where's his tail-fin?"  
Eren drowned out her rambling and continued to stare.  
The human seemed quite a bit shorter than those around – him? – And appeared broody and disinterested in all which was around him. From that distance Eren could only see the man's dark hair and bitter expression. He kept himself away from everybody else on the ship until another human rushed over to him.  
"Happy birthday prince Levi!" the person exclaimed, throwing an arm around his shoulders, emphasizing their height difference.  
"Get off me four eyes," Levi said.  
"Oh don't be such a grump! It's time for your gift!"  
Eren watched a group of sailors push a large, covered lump onto the center of the ship.  
"This is amazing," he said, "they're speaking the same language but I have no idea what they're talking about!"  
" _Humans,_ they're so different from us," Mikasa said.  
"I think it's interesting!" Armin called from his place in the water.  
He received a glare for attempting to encourage the other.  
"Well come-on, open it!" a voice said from the deck; the same voice Eren had heard before.  
He looked forward to see the tall brunette pushing Levi towards the cloth covered lump. The person looked as though barely able to contain their laughter.  
"Hanji I swear if this is anything like what you got me last year –"  
"Don't be silly! That would be too dangerous to have aboard a ship!"  
Reluctantly Levi pulled at the material concealing the lump. It fell to the ground in an elegant heap revealing a tall wooden pedestal atop which stood a very, very small stone statue,  
Levi reached up – having to stand on his toes, though nobody mentioned it out loud – to grab the statue which was easily held between two fingers.  
He turned to Hanji.  
"Is this supposed to be me?"  
In turn Hanji turned to glare at the other sailors.  
"What's going on? Those aren't the measurements I gave you!" they exclaimed, "I told you to make it comically large!"  
One random sailor shrugged.  
"We thought it was funnier this way."  
He tugged a string which appeared out of nowhere and the wooden pedestal collapsed, flooding the deck with very, very small, identical Levi statues.  
Hanji seemed quite happy with themself. They let out the stream of laughter which had been building up for a while.  
"Well we took a longer route but we ended up in the same place!" they said.  
"You really outdid yourself this time four eyes," Levi said. "good thing you didn't wait for my wedding."  
"Wedding? You're not getting married for a long time yet prince Levi!" Hanji said, "No, no, no, I promised your parents I would pick the perfect suitor for you and I will not settle for one of these boring old princesses!"  
Levi rolled his eyes.  
"Who cares if they're boring? It's my duty to this lousy kingdom, to be married by the date of my coronation."  
"Yes well we've still got a week until then; no need to rush, I'll find you your true love yet!"  
"I don't believe in true love," Levi scoffed, "just set me up with one of those girls and get it over with already."  
"You don't believe in – how could you not!" Hanji exclaimed, "oh because you've never felt it! Well I guarantee when you do you'll know it! It'll hit you like lightning!"  
As the words left their mouth a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, thunder cracking loudly above them and the ocean shaking the boat.  
The sky above them suddenly went dark and the ship's crew ran around attempting to steady it.  
As the waves began to grow higher and higher, Eren attempted to hold onto the ship, only to be thrown into the water.  
He swam quickly to the surface only to see the sails hit by a bolt of lightning. The material caught fire, burning like a beacon of death in the otherwise black atmosphere and Eren had half a mind to swim back into the ocean and pretend nothing had happened at all. He could hear the screams coming from the ship as it's crew desperately tried to salvage it, and his mind flashed back to the countless wrecked ships he'd explored over the years.  
No doubt if he were to explore this one later he would regret running away.  
The ship crashed into a cliff which had gone unseen in the panic. Many of it's crew fell overboard while other's managed to secure a life boat.  
Levi stayed aboard even as the ship burned, ensuring everybody was safely aboard the lifeboat.  
Why did they let the prince take care of such matters? Probably because they were all cowards and Hanji was indifferent.  
Anyway regardless of the reason, Levi was still aboard the ship when the fire hit the conveniently placed barrels of gunpowder, causing the entire thing to blow up.  
Without thinking about it Eren swam towards the source of the explosion. He ignored the floating debris, the fireballs which were still shooting from the wreckage and the increasing temperature of the water around him.  
It took him only a few seconds to spot Levi not far away, passed out and sinking into the ocean. Eren didn't hesitate to dive in and drag Levi back to the surface.  
Flash forward a few moments, the two could be found lying on a beach not far from the crash site.  
Levi still hadn't woken up and the sight had attracted a familiar seagull.  
"Hey, is he dead?" Jean asked, landing on Eren's head.  
"I don't know," Eren said miserably.  
"Hey, why so glum? Isn't it a merpersons job to take the souls of unsuspecting sailors anyway?" Jean asked.  
"Wrong story!" Eren hissed.  
"Calm down, what's the big deal anyway? Oh, don't tell me you actually like this human!" Jean began to laugh, "Hah, your father is going to kill you!"  
"What would you know; you're just a stupid bird!" Eren exclaimed.  
He swatted the bird away, throwing beach pebbles at it until he was once again alone with Levi.  
By now he'd noticed a faint breathing pattern from the man, and was relieved he hadn't been too late.  
He brushed a strand of hair out of Levi's face, his heart pounding as the prince seemed to press into his touch.  
When Levi regained consciousness it was to the sound of an otherworldly voice.  
He opened his eyes, almost expecting to see the ship still on fire or the giant waves which had brought them down. However he was only met with the blurry sight of what genuinely appeared to be an angel.  
Unfortunately he only caught a glimpse of the short, shaggy brown hair and green _tail_ before the thing was gone.  
"Levi?" Hanji's voice rang out across the beach as Levi's senses were slowly restored. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"  
Levi had no time to prepare for the bone-crushing embrace of his friend before it happened.  
"I'm so glad you're okay! What in the world happened to you?"  
"Someone – some _thing_ rescued me," Levi muttered, more to himself than to Hanji. "It, or _he_ , had the most beautiful voice."  
"Oh dear, you're delirious!"  
Just a little bit away from the shore, Eren was watching the display.  
He could never come back; he knew that and it hurt more than anything he'd ever felt.  
He swam away before he could convince himself to do something stupid.  
Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't completely alone.

Annie the sea witch - who wasn't necessarily _evil_ , but even sea creatures, had to make a living - watched as prince Eren raced back to Atlantis. He was the perfect example of a soul in need though it would take a bit of effort to convince him of it.  
For now she had her eel familiars following the boy, hoping to catch him off guard.  
Oh, if she could trick his soul away from him - well king Erwin would be beside himself! She would finally reclaim her family's rightful place in the palace.  
But she was getting ahead of herself and she knew this.  
For now she would continue to watch and wait.  
Her time would come soon.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Eren raced back to Atlantis, unable to believe he'd been out all night! Oh, his father was going to kill him if he found out - which he wouldn't unless Mikasa told on him. And she wouldn't do that, would she?  
now this wasn't the first time he'd snuck back in after a night spent elsewhere. Not that he'd ever been off gallivanting with other mermen or even mermaids to be thorough. But the castle was s _o bori_ ng. _he didn't like to be royalty all the time. Sometimes it was fun to rough it._  
 _he snuck back into his room without being seen until both Armin and Mikasa popped out of nowhere._  
 _"Where have you been?" Mikasa asked._  
 _"We were worried about you!" Armin added._  
 _"Do you know how much trouble we went through to cover for you?!"_  
 _"What were you thinking, you know you're not a good swimmer!"_  
 _"I'm a merman, what do you mean I'm not a good swimmer?"_  
 _"That's not the issue here!"_  
 _They both stared at Mikasa who looked mighty pissed off for a crab of her size._  
 _"You broke the rules - you went to the surface - you risked having a human see you!" Mikasa said, "I'm sorry but i couldn't let this slide. I've informed king Erwin of your little obsession with the humans, and of your collection."_  
 _Eren felt his stomach sink._  
 _He raced back out the window, Armin and Mikasa both following close behind. they raced to the cave and found it's rock-seal destroyed, enraged crashing coming from inside._  
 _"Oh no!" Eren exclaimed, more for the sake of being dramatic than anything else. he rushed into the cave in time to see his father destroying the last remains of his collection._  
"Daddy stop it!" he cried, grabbing Erwin's arm in an act of futility.  
Erwin looked at a loss for words at that moment - torn between asking for an explanation and exploding with rage.  
"Eren you - I - what -" in the end he settled for the latter option and let out an outraged sound, very unfitting of a merking.  
"I told you - I _warned_ you not to go back up there! Oh but it's my fault; i should've seen the signs, I should've been more involved - I should never have allowed you to leave the castle," he looked as though he'd just gotten the best idea in the world.  
Erwin grabbed Eren's arm, beginning to drag him out of the cave.  
"That's it! I'll just keep you locked up in the castle, safe from the outside world and _certainly_ safe form yourself!"  
"No, you can't control me like this! I'm fifteen years old, I'm not a child anymore! i can take care of myself and you know, humans aren't as bad as you say they are!"  
Erwin gasped.  
"Don't - don't tell me you let one of them _see_ you."  
Outside the cave bot Armin and Mikasa were dead silent, the latter now feeling terrible for her intervention but maintaining the thought path of _'it's for his own good.'_  
"I uh - I don't _think_ he saw me?" Eren said weakly.  
 _"He?"_ Erwin exclaimed. he was once again torn between rage and the paternal urge to wrap his son up and protect him from the big scary world.  
"What was I supposed to do, let him drown?" Eren asked.  
"Yes!"  
Erwin began to swim around the cave, head in hands - dragging Eren with him - trying to think of what to do. What was more final than eternal grounding? what was more serious?  
"Eren - you are never to leave the ocean again," he said, "No you may never leave the _castle_. i _forbid_ it!"  
Eren felt like screaming.  
why didn't his father understand?  
"I _hate_ you!" he said in retaliation. "I _hate_ you!"  
Erwin felt as though he'd been slapped in the face.  
he opened his mouth a few times to yell at Eren, only to have his voice fail him. He raised a hand to maybe slap some sense into the boy but it fell at his side unable to fulfill it's task.  
"Well - I'm sorry you feel that way," He said.  
Erwin let go of Eren's hand and swam out of the save. He paused to say something to Mikasa or maybe to Armin but words still would not form.  
Eren could only watch him swim away, all the while surrounded by the remains of a life-long collection. destroyed in just under two minutes.  
He began to dig around, looking for anything that was still intact.  
Outside of the cave Armin and Mikasa stared at each other a while longer.  
"D-does this mean he _isn't_ forbidden to leave?" Armin asked.  
"I don't know - I've never seen the king this way," Mikasa said.  
"Well what should we -"  
Armin's sentence was cut off by the sound of giggling form inside the cave. his first thought was that Eren had _finally_ realized how ridiculous everything Jean had ever said to him was, but really how likely was that?  
Mikasa scuttled into the cave and Armin followed right behind her - almost afraid of what he might see - only to find Eren sitting on the edge of a coral shelf clutching a comically small statue. It must've fallen from the ship the night before. In fact, Armin could see dozens of them scattered around the cave, move of them fully intact.  
Eren's laughter resonated throughout the cave until it subsided - quite rapidly - into hiccups and quickly deteriorated into appropriately loud - and disgusting - sobs.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

From her cave the seawitch watched the poor prince fall to pieces.  
Now would be the _perfect_ time to swoop in and tear the royal family apart.  
She called her eel familiars.  
"Bert, Reiner, go and fetch the boy for me," she said.  
"What are you gonna do with him?" Bertholdt asked.  
"I haven't decided yet," Annie said, "But I'm sure _he'll_ think of something for me. _Every_ soul has a price."

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Eren stayed in the cave all day, refusing to move form his spot. His mood ranged from near hysterical laughter, to noiseless sobs that broke his friend's hearts.  
Armin and Mikasa had figured out by now that there was nothing they could do to get through to him.  
they had taken to cleaning out the cave and so were too distracted to notice a pair of unusually large eels who slipped in.  
"Hey~ why are you crying?" one asked.  
"Clearly he's upset!" another exclaimed.  
"Shut _up_ Bert!"  
Eren looked up at the arguing eels, wiping his eyes redundantly.  
"Huh, Armin did you turn into an eel?" he asked.  
"Uh - no?" Reiner said, "I don't even know how I'm supposed to answer that - never mind. why are you so sad?"  
Eren looked away.  
"Oh, it's stupid," he said.  
"No, I'm sure it's not. You can tell us - we only want to help~"  
"You _can't,"_ Eren looked up at the hole in the caves ceiling. he could clearly see where the ocean ended and the surface world began. his heart ached, longing to be up there where he truly belonged.  
his heart sank and he returned his gaze to the eels.  
 _"nobody_ can," he said.  
"Well maybe _we_ can't - but we know somebody who can," Bertholdt said. "Let us take you there - she can make all of your dreams come true~"  
"Bert you're making her sound like a prostitute," Reiner stage whispered.  
"A What?" Eren asked.  
Right. they didn't have such things underwater - or at least we can assume they didn't.  
"Uh - nothing," Reiner said. "So will you come with us or not?"  
Eren blinked his eyes and sniffed, attempting to steady himself and gain back some composure.  
"Can she really help me?" Eren asked, "With - _anything?"_  
" _Anything."_  
Eren looked back at the cave entrance to where he knew Atlantis and a whole shit-storm lay waiting for him.  
"Okay," he said, "I'll do it."

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Eren had never been warned about sea witches and magic in general. Sure he knew his father possessed a lot of magic and that often times he used it unjustly - the destroying of his life's work could serve as a recent example - but Eren had only ever been warned about the dangers which lurked _above_ the ocean.  
Because of this, Eren had literally no idea how to handle the sea witch. He realized what was happening as soon as the eels led him away but he didn't know how to determine whether the situation was dangerous or not.  
the eels, they were nice enough. what reason did they have to trick him?  
Then there was Annie herself who was too nice to possibly do any harm.  
"Oh dear, would you like to tell me what's wrong?" she asked when Eren was led to her cave. Her back was to him and he opened his mouth to say he was perfectly find but she continued to speak, "Come now you can't lie to _me._ I know there's something trouble you so why not tell me? Perhaps I can help."  
Annie shifted around the cave - which was a lot bigger than Eren's own - and began fumbling around with some of her things in an attempt to make the scene more lively.  
"I want to be human," Eren said, deciding to dive right in.  
Both eels and even Annie herself seemed shocked by this revelation before a smile crossed her features.  
"Well why didn't you come to me sooner? I can certainly help you with that!"  
"R-really?"  
"Of course - my specialty is conjuring up spells to aid those in need! I use my magic _only_ to help poor unfortunate souls like _you."_  
Annie pulled Eren further into the cave to sit down while she fetched a small shell. things were going much better than she planned!  
"So what is it - some special human up there or something?" Reiner asked,  
he'd seen many a soul lose themselves to love on the surface; it was what made the business of being a sea witch so profitable!  
"Well yes but - uh, I doubt he's ever notice me. He's a _prince_ after all and not like, the seventh prince of the ocean, he's literally the only one!"  
"Wow, so he's set to become the king of the entire surface world?" Bertholdt asked. "You probably don't stand a chance with him."  
"You're right - maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Eren said.  
He made to leave but was stopped by Annie who cast a glare towards her eels before _smiling_ \- if you could even call it that - at the boy.  
"Don't worry about what they say," she said, "You're a handsome young mer-prince! if the two of you were to wed you could rule the entire world!" she said.  
"D-do you think he'll like me?"  
"Of course I do! now sit down," she pushed him back down and shoved the shell in his face. "Unfortunately there are a few finer details to go over; i can't just make you human that's just not how magic works. i can only change you for three days _after which I will own you soul for all eternity."_  
"Wait what was that last part?" Eren asked.  
"Oh nothing but ugly details! now, in order to avoid your soul being torn for your body in the most horrific way possible, we need to add an outside factor to our contract. if in those three days you manage to get a kiss from the prince you will remain human - unfortunately with magic nothing comes for free so you'll have to give me something in return."  
 _"Anything!"_ Eren said determinedly.  
his interest had been piqued by the word _kiss._  
Annie smiled to herself. This would be the easiest contract she had ever made.  
"Your voice," she said.  
"My - I don't - I can't _sing?"_ Eren asked.  
suddenly he wasn't so sure.  
"No, not for the three day trial period. If you get the kis _s you get your voice back."_  
 _"But I won't be able to speak to him, to find out who he is or tell him who I am._ I can't kiss a man i barely know!"  
Annie sighed.  
"Oh but you're an expert on humans, aren't you?" she drawled. "You know human men, they don't like to speak and very rarely do they like being spoken to! he'll be _glad_ that you're not babbling away at him."  
"...I don't know," Eren said.  
Annie shrugged and took the shell away, moving to put it back.  
"Oh well, i guess you don't want it that badly, you best go back home now prince, before daddy begins to worry."  
The eels began to herd around Eren ready to push him out.  
"No wait - I'll do it!" Eren said.  
He wanted to be human more than anything! He would find a way to make it work, even without his voice.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

When Armin and Mikasa _finally_ noticed Eren had left, they panicked though at the time it wasn't quite so hard to track him down and they now hovered outside of the witches cave, watching the scene unfold.  
Armin was sure Eren was smart enough not to give his soul to a witch but as he watched on, doubt began to plague his mind. Sure on a normal day he might have more sense but after an argument like that it was only natural that he would make poor decisions.  
"We have to stop him," Mikasa said. she scuttled forward towards the caves entrance but was stopped by a pair of large eels.  
"Not so fast," one of them said, "No one is allowed past this point while Annie's at work."  
"Yeah and besides, it's already too late to stop her~" said the other.  
No, it couldn't be true.  
Armin looked passed the eels only to see Eren staring at the shell, his eyes filled with equal amounts of fear and determination.  
He tried to call out, _"Eren don't do it!"_ but his words drowned in the sound of Eren's singing voice which suddenly flowed through the cave, accompanied b a flash of light which enveloped the young prince as each sound left him.  
Inside the cave, Eren took a deep breath both out of anxiety as well as preparation to give his voice away. as he opened his mouth to sing he was almost certain that he heard Armin's voice telling him to stop, but the warning was quickly lost when he found himself singing, and as a burst of light began to tangle around him - as though trying to suffocate him - he knew it was already too late.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

The sun beat down mercilessly on the beach where a freshly unconscious mer - uh, _human_ \- boy lay.  
The tide was in, waves crashing over the boys _feet_ as though beckoning him back into the oceans depths but to no avail. Seagulls were beginning to swarm up above, waiting for their chance to devour this freshly washed up corpse only to be disappointed when it spluttered to life.  
Eren had barely any memories of the past few hours - at least not right away - and couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was on a beach, or more pressing; why he was on the _surface._  
He tried to move his tail, to push himself back into the ocean, only to find half of it not moving at all.  
Eren looked down to see what was wrong only to have a rush of memories hit him.  
He'd gone to a sea witch and gambled his soul for a pair of legs and a chance at _true_ _love._ Not only that but he'd given his voice away and had only three days to win it back!  
Oh what would his father say? No doubt he would be mad!  
But then up here, there was nothing that even his father, king of the ocean himself, could do.  
Eren laughed though no sound came out. He tried to stand but fell almost as soon as he did. Legs were hard to use, he decided immediately and tried again, bracing himself on a rock nearby. This time he managed to stand, but didn't dare attempt to _walk._  
Oh at this rate he would have to _crawl_ his way through the surface! Not only that but it seemed the sea witch had given him more than he'd asked for, if the protrusion between his legs was anything to go by. Did _all_ humans have one?  
He'd only ever seen humans who were covered up, which didn't make sense because the surface world was so _hot._ Maybe they were ashamed of their bodies. Yeah, that made sense!  
Now if he could only find a friendly crab or land-loving fish to help him out -  
"Oi kid, lookout!" Eren was quick to duck down as a seagull fly just overhead, chasing a smaller bird though ending up crashing into the sand.  
The seagull - shocked that the human had understood him - looked back, his eyes almost coming right out.  
" _Eren?"_ He asked incredulously, "wh-what are you doing here? With those - those _things?"_  
Eren opened his mouth to explain only to remember his voice no longer worked. He put his hands to his neck and opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out to try and illustrate his loss.  
Jean squawked, annoyed with the boy.  
"I don't - I can't - where's Armin?" Jean asked.  
Eren suddenly felt panicked, and looked over towards the ocean. He pointed towards it frantically, mouthing words so quickly that even Jean, who was usually quite good at reading lips, couldn't understand a single one.  
Eren tripped over his own feet trying to run back into the water. He had to force back a frustrated scream at his own stupidity - though later he would credit it to the panic he was feeling.  
Jean flew up in front of him, flapping his wings frantically.  
"Hey, calm down alright? I'll go out there and find him or that bossy little crab to help you," he said, "I can't have you messing things up for me on the surface."  
Eren opened his mouth to yell at the bird but any words he formed were ignored.  
"Don't you move a single toe. I don't want you hurting yourself and getting me into trouble!"  
With those words, Jean took flight.  
Eren sat partially in the water with his arm outstretched towards a retreating bird, holding back tears. He certainly made an odd sight for the royal advisor who just so happened to be walking the beach that day hoping to find at least _one_ washed up replica of that statue they'd commissioned.  
"Hey kid, are you alright?" They called.  
Eren looked up and smiled recognizing the person from the other night. He tried to speak to them, only to crumble and cry when nothing came out.  
"Can't speak, can you?" Hanji asked. "Fascinating. Oh well, I can't very well leave you out here can I?"  
Eren shook his head, showing that he understood.  
"Oh I know somebody who would _love_ to me you!" They said, "come on, we'll play a trick on him!"  
Eren had no choice but to go with them.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Eren was dragged through the surface world wearing nothing but an over-sized jacket to cover up his new human parts. The person he was with had introduced themselves as Hanji, and decided to call him _Squish_ until further notice.  
He learned that the surface world was a lot different from Atlantis, and it didn't take very long for that message to sink in. No, because the surface world was so loud and full of life - almost exclusively human life. In Atlantis it wasn't strange to find a merperson conversing with a fish or two, yet here it seemed as though humans couldn't understand the language of their animal counterparts.  
No maybe they couldn't, but Eren certainly could and the animals around him seemed to take notice of it. They flocked around him, talking excitedly to him and following him wherever he went, causing Hanji to laugh. His father would've been mad at him for receiving so much attention but Hanji only seemed fascinated by him.  
"You can't talk, animals love you and you're extremely clumsy," they said after the fifth time Eren had stumbled and fell. "Also, it seems as though you washed up out of the ocean, just what in the world _are_ you, Squish?"  
Eren shrugged, not sure if he was supposed to answer or not, but Hanji seemed to let it go.  
The pair stopped in a strange place filled with people and long, colorful garments which Eren had seen only female humans wear. Hanji picked out a simple blue-black one for Eren to wear and forced him into it, topping both the dress and him off with big blue bows.  
"There, you look just like a princess," Hanji said, "granted, you look like you're from a much smaller kingdom -"  
Eren wanted to interrupt and tell them and say he was in fact the prince of a very large kingdom, but again his lack of a voice was quite the barrier.  
"Prince Levi will take one look at you and fall in love!" Hanji exclaimed, pausing to laugh maniacally before dragging Eren out of the store.  
Even if Levi didn't _fall_ _in love_ with the boy, he would certainly agree to marry him. Then when it was revealed that Eren was a boy, he'd see the error in attempting to marry anything that dare call itself a princess and maybe he'd even try looking for something _real._  
"I know it's a little underhanded, but really something has to be done about him!" Hanji explained as they reached the castle gates.  
Again Eren found this castle so much different from the palace in Atlantis, but it was difficult to take in all of the differences while his heart was busy processing what had been said.  
He was being taken straight to the prince, but he would never get a real chance.  
How depressing was _that?_  
Eren was dragged across the castle grounds and through its door, leading into a large, open space. The floor was made of a shiny smooth surface, which was cold against Eren's new feet, and a double staircase of the same material led up to rooms unseen. A whole world he'd never be able to explore.  
"You stay right here, I'll go and find him," Hanji said, a smile on their face wide enough to scare Eren.  
They walked off through one of the adjacent doors, calling out, "Hey Levi get over here!" leaving Eren by himself in the foyer.  
He certainly felt like a fish out of water in a place that seemed even fancier than Atlantis. Up until right then he'd thought _he_ was royal, but clearly not royal enough.  
He stood awkwardly in the doorway until a voice startled him into awareness.  
"Oi, you lost or something?"  
Eren looked up at the source of the voice, looking away quickly so Levi wouldn't see him blush.  
This was so embarrassing!  
He heard a sigh and the words, "I was wondering when they would start dragging in brats in dresses. Better run while you can before they try to castrate you and stick you in frilly panties."  
Eren stared adamantly at the ground, refusing to even _try_ deciphering what the other was saying. The surface world was getting scary, really fast.  
"You listening? Then again a kid willing to dress himself in drag is probably into that sort of thing."  
Levi shrugged; it really wasn't any of his business, but next time Hanji might want to try a kid who actually _looked_ like a woman.  
Eren looked up at the prince. He knew Eren wasn't a princess? But how? He hadn't said a word and - and he was wearing women's clothing, wasn't he? He was met with the stare of icy grey eyes and his stomach was filled with the urge to run for it - though with these stupid land legs he wouldn't get very far.  
Eren flinched when the other reached out a hand, fingers wrapping around his chin to keep him still.  
"Don't i know you from somewhere?" Levi asked quietly, suddenly inflicted with the strongest sense of Deja vu.  
Eren shook his head as best as he could, thankful for Hanji's sudden interruption.  
"Hey leave Squish alone!" they called, rushing into the room.  
 _"Squish?"_ Levi repeated, "What kind of stupid name is that?"  
Hanji sighed.  
"I guess you figured out he's a boy, right?" they turned to Eren and said, "Squish, I'm disappointed in you."  
Eren looked down, feeling ashamed of himself for more reasons than just one.  
So far being a human wasn't going so great.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

It took Jean exactly twenty minutes to find both Mikasa and Armin along the shore, having gone as far as the fish could go.  
He explained the situation to them and they explained their part - really, it made a lot of sense that Eren couldn't speak - until Jean remembered his promise to the boy.  
He led them along the shore to where he'd left Eren, only to find it deserted.  
"Oh no, what are we going to do?" Armin said, "He's got no clothes and no voice! He _can't_ say no! Anybody could be doing literally _anything_ to him right now."  
"What do you mean?" Mikasa asked, "Is Eren in danger?"  
"He could be!"  
"Yeah, he seemed pretty worried too," Jean drawled, "started freaking out when he realized you weren't with him."  
Armin made a frustrated noise.  
"Of course he would! He's up here all alone and the only things he knows about the human world are _lies_ you've told him!" if Armin had hands, he would've found a way to kill Jean in that moment. "Eren won't survive a second up here!"  
"There's only one thing we can do," Mikasa said. "Armin, go back to Atlantis and inform king Erwin of the situation. This bird and I will find Eren and keep him safe."  
"But won't king Erwin be mad?" Jean asked.  
"He'll be _furious_ ," Armin confirmed. "But - it's for Eren's own good."

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Eren sat at a long table in a sunny room of the castle. People were bustling in and out, laying food on the table, greeting the prince or his odd advisor and giving _him_ odd looks.  
Levi and Hanji had had a lengthy discussion about him and his vocal situation. Hanji mentioned where they'd found him and the fact that he was extremely clumsy on his feet. Then they said something which almost made Eren choke.  
"You know I've heard stories about Merpeople being banished from the ocean. They're cursed to live out the rest of their lives on the surface but they never quite learn how to use their legs."  
"Tch. Don't be ridiculous four-eyes. There's no such thing as -"  
He looked at the boy sitting across from him. He _did_ bear a striking resemblance to the whatever-the-hell-it-was that saved him from the ship wreckage. But it couldn't be - that had just been a crazy hallucination; even Hanji had said so.  
"You were saying, _highness?"_ Hanji asked tauntingly.  
Levi rolled his eyes and continued eating his breakfast.  
"So if he's a cursed merman, what happened to his voice?" Levi asked.  
"Maybe his tongue was cut out!"  
"That would be wasteful."  
Hanji started making faces at Eren, encouraging him to open his mouth only to find his tongue still in place.  
By now the boy was blushing madly and feeling like such a fool.  
He was beginning to think everything he knew about the surface was a lie, especially after the fork-dinglehopper fiasco. If he ever got the chance Eren vowed to kill Jean.  
And oh god was it ever hot? Just how did humans survive in this _heat?_ Eren was already sweating through his dress and the sunlit room wasn't helping a single bit. He began undoing the bow around his dress while Hanji and Levi continued to talk.  
"What exactly do you plan to do with the brat?" Levi asked.  
"If he really is a former merman, perhaps he's some sort of ambassador!" Hanji responded, "in which case would it not be your royal duty to care for him and show him our hospitality."  
Levi sighed.  
"I thought you were trying to find me a _true love_ , not a damn merman with legs."  
In response Hanji shrugged.  
"Love works in mysterious ways," they said.  
Any reply Levi might have had was cut off by the sound of chair legs scraping against the ground coupled with the opening of a door as the servants returned to clear the table.  
Both Levi and Hanji looked up in time to see the dress fall away from Eren's overheated body and pooling at his feet, revealing the fact that Hanji had already forced the boy into a pair of frilly panties.  
The result was three seconds of stunned silence - where Eren at least had the decency to look embarrassed - before Levi spoke.  
"Not bad, brat."  
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)  
It took five minutes for Hanji to force the dress back on but only five _seconds_ for Levi to come to the realization that it was too _hot_ \- "oi glasses, if he _were_ a merman then don't you think he'd be sweating his skin off out here?"  
So now Eren was - quite gratefully - fitted into much smaller clothes; just enough to appear decent.  
Levi had agreed to show him around after another half hour of Hanji pestering him, so now they were strolling through the town slow enough for Eren to keep up even with his clumsy new feet.  
Word had travelled rapidly from the castle about the boy in drag found undressing before the prince and everybody was staring at him. Eren just wanted to disappear but Levi didn't seem to notice. He did however, notice every time Eren tripped or even stumbled a bit, calling him a clumsy brat and remarking that maybe he really was a merman because he literally couldn't walk for shit.  
All the while Eren could only think what a strange place the surface was where a royal prince was able to speak so openly and use so many colorful words. Oh and the animals here, they had such interesting stories! One of them - a _dog_ \- Yipped at him for half their journey about the new food his owner had bought him and the squirrel he'd chased that morning.  
"What is it with you and those animals?" Levi asked.  
They were stopped on a bridge out of sight of most of the town. It was covered by large trees, the leaves a striking green to contrast the deep ocean blue which had made up most of his life. Flowers riddled the branches, vibrant reds, yellows and even purples - all of which were colors he hadn't seen anywhere else but on the shells of crabs or the scales of fish. The surface world truly was a whole new spectrum of color and everything seemed so much more beautiful up here!  
In reply to Levi's question he just shrugged, wishing he could speak to explain it away even if whatever he would say would be a lie and even as he tried to pass it off as some strange phenomena a pair of squirrels raced down a tree branch to place a bright red flower on top of his head.  
Levi sighed.  
"Whatever you're doing stop it. I don't want to catch some sort of disease from those things."  
Eren shook his head, attempting to say he hadn't done anything at all - that animals were just naturally drawn to him and that he was sure they were perfectly healthy but all Levi seemed to understand was _no._  
 _"Tch."_  
Levi took the flower from Eren's head where it had been about to fall off.  
"This color doesn't suit you," he said.  
Without another word he plucked a blue flower - which Eren had neglected to notice before - and placed it behind Eren's ear.  
"This one's better," he said.  
Blue. It was _always_ blue. His entire life had been blue! And yet this time, Eren felt he didn't mind; maybe he could learn to like it after all especially if it meant more flowers and more barely there touches from Levi.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Armin reached Atlantis in record time - though usually when swimming there he had to drag Eren along with him.  
At first Erwin refused to see him, likely convinced that Eren was in tow but after a while of pleading and yelling at a closed door, Armin was allowed entrance.  
" What is it?" Erwin asked, his voice drenched in sadness, "can't you see I'm busy?"  
Erwin sat on his throne, head in hands, looking as though he hadn't closed his eyes at all since he last saw Eren. He'd come straight to Atlantis from that cave and refused to speak to anyone until Armin showed up.  
"Forgive me sir but we have a situation," Armin said.  
"I don't care; have Mikasa deal with it."  
"Sir it's about _Eren,"_ Armin clarified.  
"Eren? That _ingrate?"_ Erwin bellowed, "He can _drown_ for all I care!"  
"Well you know, he just might. See sir, Eren has become _human."_  
Erwin sat upright as though slapped awake.  
"He - he- he _what?"_ Erwin exclaimed, "How could he have - what did you - no that can't be right! Eren would have to have gone to a _witch,_ and he knows not to do that!"  
"D _o_ es he?" Armin asked.  
Erwin sighed.  
"How long does he have?"  
"Three days."  
"I'll think of something but for now I need you to go up there and keep him out of trouble."  
" But sir -" Armin wiggled his tailfins, trying to communicate his obvious barrier.  
"Not to worry; that witch isn't the only one in the sea with magic."

Mikasa and Jean were airborne when the magic took effect. It was a miracle that king Erwin's magic was able to reach so far out of the ocean but it did and the changes took effect immediately.  
Unfortunately it would be much too convenient to have both Mikasa and Armin transformed into humans and so Mikasa took the form of a mouse. Her fur was short and black, her land legs stubby and hard to get used to, but worst of all was Jean's shock which caused her to fall through the underlying canopy of trees right onto - oh well wasn't this convenient?  
Mikasa landed on her charges head with a surprised squeak, before regaining control of the situation.  
"Just what do you think you're doing young man?" She exclaimed, "Do you have any idea how worried we were? King Erwin must be beside himself with rage and guilt by now if he were willing to use this sort of magic!"  
Eren scooped her off his head and looked down at her with a guilty expression before she was swiped out of her hands by a disgusted Levi.  
"Didn't Hanji bother to clean you?" He asked, "I swear you've got a pest problem and its really starting to bug me."  
He held Mikasa over the edge of the bridge - oh if only she'd had her pinchers; she would cut his fingers clean off! - but Eren snatched her back quickly, holding her small body to his chest and shaking his head rapidly.  
"What is it brat? That mouse your friend or something?" Levi asked. He let out an annoyed noise at the nod he received. "Of course it is! It's probably some kind of sea-rodent - show Hanji; they'll pull an explanation out of their ass for you."  
Eren wasn't sure what he would say even if he had a voice, but he held the mouse out to Levi and used his other hand to point to himself.  
"You can keep it, but _you'll_ be the one cleaning up after it and, making sure it doesn't shit inside."  
Levi paused in his walking for a moment. When had He decided to let the kid stay? And _when_ had he decided that the kid had a cute smile?  
"I don't like this guy Eren; he seems like trouble," Mikasa said when they resumed walking. Jean came down to fly beside them, squawking in surprise.  
"What are you talking about?" The bird asked, "Levi's a Prince, he's going to be king! Eren here could only be king if six other people died."  
Eren was torn between agreeing with Jean and punching him in his stupid bird face. He settled for the latter option and sent the bird flying with a screeching cry that had Levi giving him a strange look.  
"I don't like it up here Eren let's just go home," Mikasa tried, only to get a shake of the head as an answer. "Why not, is it because of the contract?" This time a positive. "Well, how do you complete it?"  
Eren pointed at himself then to Levi, puckering his lips and hoping Mikasa would understand.  
She did, but the result was an outraged cry which shocked Eren into losing his footing and tripping.  
"Honestly, could you be anymore of a _brat?"_ Levi asked, stooping to help Eren up.  
Eren felt his heart flutter as Levi's arm wrapped around his waist to help keep him steady.  
"We should probably stop moving before you break something." He helped Eren over to a small bench and made him sit down. "You know, of all the _princesses_ Hanji has introduced me to, you're by far the most interesting."  
Eren beamed in response, trying to exude as much happiness as possible.  
"I really don't want to be stuck with one of those boring old hags - you know, being royalty ain't all it's cracked up to be."  
Eren rolled his eyes, mouthing the words _tell_ _me_ _about_ _it._  
He leaned his head on Levi's shoulder, allowing his eyes to slip closed for a moment. His legs were sore; the knees scrapped and bruised, and his entire body was too _hot._ But sitting down like this, with only the singing of hundreds of bugs filling the air he felt more relaxed about everything.  
"Oi don't fall asleep like that," Levi said, shaking Eren a little, "We've got to head back soon."  
Eren nodded and held up a single finger to say _one more minute._  
"Tch."  
"Eren what are you doing?" This time it was Mikasa who spoke. "You could break the spell right now, just do it!"  
Eren's eyes opened and he sat up.  
Was Mikasa right, did a kiss still count if it was stolen?  
He could have his voice back, and explain everything, and not have to worry about having his soul taken! He could have an eternity on the surface. But would it work, would it be right?  
Eren looked up only to be met by the stare of icy grey eyes.  
"What's the matter with you?" Levi asked. Eren tried to look away but found his head held in place. "You're burning up - maybe we should throw you back in the ocean."  
 _Back?_ Levi wondered when he truly started going along with it, with the stupid notion that the kid was a merman. This kid, he made Levi think things before he even stopped to realize it!  
Eren shook his head - he didn't know if he could even swim with these _legs_ \- and began feeling panic well up in his chest - apparently unable to understand the concept of a joke - when his train of thought was interrupted by a fluffy feeling against his legs.  
"Eren?" A voice called from the ground.  
"Armin?" Mikasa exclaimed.  
"Mikasa?"

"Jean!" the seagull flew back into the scene only to be punched right back out of it by an overwhelmed Eren.  
On the ground by his feet was a fluffy ginger cat with bright blue eyes - exactly the animal Eren wanted to see.  
He scooped the cat up, squeezing both him and Mikasa into a crushing hug. He tried to speak, mouthing words so fast that Armin could only understand _glad to see you,_ before Levi interrupted their reunion.  
"Another friend of yours?" he asked. Eren nodded then clapped his hands together in a silent plea. "Yes you can keep it but -"  
Levi didn't finish his sentence, all words disappearing when Eren embraced him mouthing a thousand words of gratitude.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

"What? Land animals - that's not part of the script!"  
Inside her cave the sea witch Annie was flipping through pages of the title script, confused over what she was seeing.  
"Uh, i think the author decided to exercise creative freedom," Bertholdt said.  
"Creative what? Well, if they won't play by the rules than I won't either!"  
"But you never do anyway!" Reiner said - or at least he tried to, but only the first two words got out before he and Bertholdt were enveloped by magic.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

The sun was setting by the time Levi dragged Eren - with a surprising amount of help from Armin - back to the castle.  
The sun set a beautiful orange glow across the sky, sending spears of red across the clouds and vanquishing every trace of blue. it was beautiful.  
As soon as they'd made it inside, a young maid by the name of Petra, ran up to them.  
"Prince Levi, oh it's terrible!" she exclaimed, "Word has travelled to the other lands - kings everywhere are refusing to offer their daughters hands. Because - well because of -"  
She looked pointedly at Eren but only for a few seconds before looking away - embarrassed.  
 _"What did you do?"_ Armin asked from the ground.  
Eren was too ashamed to say.  
"Let them refuse," Levi said, "I didn't want any of their daughters in the first place."  
"But sir, your coronation is in three days! The law of this kingdom states you must be married by then!"  
"Don't you think i know that?" Levi asked. "Just leave me. I'll think of something before then."  
"Not to intrude, but you _do_ have a perfectly fine _princess_ right there," Hanji said. They'd been standing at the top of the staircase, watching right from the beginning.  
" _Me?_ " Petra asked, "Oh I-I-I _couldn't!_ "  
"They mean the brat," Levi said. "They think they're _funny."_  
"Oh I am _hilarious,_ but I'm also very serious!" Hanji came to stand beside Petra and said, "Nowhere does it say you must be married to a _woman._ If nobody else will do it - and you're so _intent_ on following the rules - well, he _can't_ say no!"  
Levi looked at Eren - who was looking at the ground - then at Petra and Hanji.  
He opened his mouth to say something - _anything_ \- but couldn't think of a complete sentence. He settled instead for storming off, leaving Eren to stare miserably at his feet.  
Hanji smiled to themselves and grabbed Eren's hand.  
"Come-on Squish I've got a plan!"

The next morning Eren fancied himself an expert with human clothes. Hanji was still making him wear what some might call women's clothing, but to him they were only a tad brighter and seemed only a tad more comfortable than what the men wore.  
Really he was just thankful Hanji hadn't forced him to wear women's underwear again - that was something he was never going to live down.  
Mikasa and Armin chatted away while he dressed, the former protesting the plans Hanji had laid out the day before while the latter encouraged Eren to live his dreams. Even in this situation they just couldn't see eye to eye! But Eren was grateful that he could spend this time with them, after all there was only a small chance that he would make it out of this with his soul intact.  
Just as Eren had buttoned his shirt, Hanji barged into the room looking as though they'd spent the morning in a chicken coop.  
"Morning all!" They exclaimed, "Squish, here it is!"  
Eren held out his hand to take the tiny box offered to him, feeling his heart flutter thinking of what it implied. He gave Hanji a worried look.  
"Don't look so concerned, I'm sure it'll work!" Hanji said, actually trying to be reassuring for once. "You know, I didn't believe it at first - it was just a joke I told to annoy him, but you really aren't from _here_ are you?"  
Eren looked around the room to make sure they were as alone as possible. He shook his head, almost flinching when he felt Hanji's hand on top of it.  
"Your secrets safe with me," they said. "Just be careful; they don't understand us up here - people who are different. Levi may seem closed minded most of the time, but he's more accepting than most people in this world. So, be careful."  
Eren nodded, tried his best to look grateful, and followed the other out of the room.  
As soon as the door closed Hanji returned to normal, calling out loudly to the servants and making trouble.  
Eren made his way downstairs, Armin and Mikasa at his heels.  
"That was strange," Mikasa said.  
"Maybe they were a merperson once?" Armin suggested.  
"If they were, where's their _true_ _love?"_  
Eren shook his head, lifting Mikasa off the ground so the servants wouldn't step on her.  
"What else could it be?" Armin asked.  
Eren just kept shaking his head - he knew that wasn't it; Hanji was just a good, caring person. Different didn't _always_ mean otherworldly, but people of this world could certainly know the same pain.  
Eren made his way through the house as though he'd lived there his entire life. He raced through the kitchen, swiping a slice of bread off of the counter and grabbing a handful of the first meat-like thing he could see to share with Armin and Mikasa. He didn't stop moving until he reached the veranda which overlooked the ocean on one side and the town on the other. The castle was built on a cliff, allowing an amazing view from any place inside or out, but Eren found he could see the most from here.  
"Miss it yet?" Mikasa asked, leaping out of Eren hands onto the rails.  
Eren shook his head.  
"What's there to miss, right?" Armin asked, "no bossy kings up here, no rules to follow, deadlines to keep - there's a whole big world up here waiting for us!"  
Eren nodded, pointing at the cat.  
"That _king_ happens to be your _father,_ Eren and those rules and deadlines are your responsibilities as prince!"  
Eren mouthed the words, _I'm_ _not_ _a_ _prince_ _anymore; I'm_ _a_ _princess!_ He curtsied for Mikasa and twirled around, watching the dress fly up around him. If he'd had a voice he might've laughed but right then, he could only act it out without a sound.  
"Careful Eren, you might -"  
Mikasa's words came too late and for what felt like the millionth time since becoming human, Eren tripped and fell. It would've been a nasty fall too had Levi not shown up right then and caught him.  
"He's getting better at that," Armin noted.  
"Tch. Any time would be great for you to stop being such a clumsy shit," Levi muttered.  
Eren smiled apologetically.  
He stumbled over to the rails, dragging Levi with him - so he wouldn't fall again of course. He pointed out at the town, wanting to say how beautiful it all looked - and it truly did. Buildings of all different colors made from materials which wouldn't last underwater, people rushing around everything, selling things, making, breaking, buying - Atlantis was so _empty_ compared to this!  
"In a few days all of this will be mine," Levi said, though he sounded like he was talking to himself. "It's _already_ mine but it'll be _official."_  
Eren nodded and pointed to the ocean.  
The stupid, vast, blu _e ocean._  
 _It all could've been mine,_ he mouthed. _If only I'd wanted it._  
"What, you want to go home?" Levi asked, "I don't blame you; it's an ugly world up here."  
Eren shook his head.  
"Too bad he can't understand _us,"_ Mikasa drawled.  
"You'd probably scare him off," Armin said.  
That would be better than standing here and being misunderstood, Eren thought.  
"Come-on brat," Levi said. Eren looked at him, confused. "You want to go to the ocean, right? hurry up before i change my mind."

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Annie's magic could only go so far and Reiner and Bertholdt ended up becoming dogs - also this story has gone _way_ over budget so like, those fireworks we had planned for the ending have been _scrapped._  
They washed up on the beach the first night but have only just now found a way to become relevant - don't expect much from those two though.  
For now we'll say it was their job to watch Eren, make sure he didn't break the spell while Annie and Erwin had it out underwater.  
They tracked Eren to the castle but were unable to get inside - Reiner had the bright idea to jump over the gate when it opened up.  
"Honestly, how many friends do you _have_?" A voice reached their ears and they looked up, seeing Eren and some _human._ "If they're gonna start camping outside we might as well get rid of the walls - I've been meaning to do it anyway."  
All the while Eren stood staring at the dogs feeling _so_ confused. He kneeled down to pet them, surprised when they tackled him - playfully of course - and began licking him.  
"Gross," was all Levi said.  
"Wow Prince Eren what are you doing in a dress?" Bertholdt asked, sitting on Eren's stomach. "You look _silly."_  
"Eren you know these mutts?" Mikasa asked. For a mouse she looked pretty threatening.  
Eren nodded, but wasn't sure how to explain their relationship.  
"So _this_ is the prince," Reiner said, sniffing around Levi - who looked about ready to kick him.  
"He's - _cute?_ " Bertholdt guessed. "Oh I uh - I mean, isn't he _too good_ for you?"  
Yeah, that sounded like the right line.  
Eren shook his head and pushed the dog off him, getting clumsily to his feet.  
"Are you kidding, this guy would be _lucky_ to have Eren!" Armin said, though all Levi heard was a hiss.  
"Yeah well _Eren_ would be _lucky_ to get a kiss on the _cheek_ by sunset tomorrow!" Reiner said - a growl to human ears.  
Eren sighed, knowing it was pointless to try and stop them - and not wanting to be told how inadequate he was – he started to walk away.

"Hey brat, aren't you going to stop them?" Levi asked.

Eren looked back with a cheeky smile on his face. He grabbed Levi's hand and put a finger to his own mouth, pulling the prince along with him.

None of the animals noticed they were gone until they were completely out of sight.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

"What if those dogs kill your _friends?"_ Levi asked.

They were at the docks now – Eren had chosen it over the beach – with their feet resting in the water watching ships come and go.

Eren shook his head and help up his fists, trying to illustrate that his friends were stronger than that – and also that those dogs were _mean._

"Well I'm telling you now I won't be cleaning up any disgusting animal guts or blood – you'll have to do it yourself."

Eren nodded, knowing it wouldn't be necessary. Armin hadn't lost a fight since they'd known each other. Granted people weren't exactly lining up to fight the prince and his fishy friend but it had happened a few times.

They sat there for a long time, a one-sided conversation going on between them with Eren getting better at illustrating what he wanted to say.

Levi spoke mostly about the kingdom, what he planned to do with it – mostly plans to make it a better place, to better care for the citizens, possibly prepare to _take over the world_ – while Eren tried illustrating some of his disdain for his own kingdom.

Oh but Levi would never understand that! Even if he _was_ the accepting person Hanji had painted him out to be he would understand.

The sky was beginning to glow pink with the afternoon sun by the time Levi got up. Eren made to do the same thing only to be stopped by the sound of four animals chasing each other in their direction.

"Hey come back here you useless mutts and let me finish kicking your ass!" that was Mikasa. "You're lucky I don't have my pinchers or I'd cut your head clean off!"

Eren laughed – silently – though all Levi heard was the surprisingly loud squeak of a mouse.

Mikasa was seated a top Armin's head, the odd pair chasing Reiner and Bertholdt towards where Eren still sat.

"Just try it!" Reiner barked – though he didn't stop running. "See what happens!"

Eren wished he had enough voice to say _I told you so._

He moved again the stand-up only to be met in a collision with the two dogs, knocking the three of them into the ocean.

"Eren!" both Mikasa and Armin exclaimed. They looked to Levi – knowing _they_ couldn't swim in their land bodies any better than Eren could – only to see him staring at the rippling surface of the water.

Fortunately Eren surfaced quite quickly, gasping for air and splashing water everywhere. Meanwhile Bertholdt and Reiner were using their teeth to pull at his clothes, trying to drag him back down.

"Go back to where you came from!" Bertholdt said.

 _Wow that's really uncalled for,_ Eren thought.

He managed to shake the dogs off, struggling to reach the posts of the docks.

 _"Brat."_

Eren looked up to Levi's extended hand. He took hold of it and allowed himself to be pulled up into the others arms – only to be pushed away seconds later because he was too _wet._

 _Bad dogs_! Eren mouthed at the dogs, pointing his finger at them threateningly.

Beside him Armin let out a very un-catlike growl.

"Try that again," Armin said.

"Come down here and _fight me!"_ Bertholdt snapped.

Eren bent to pet Armin's head, attempting to calm him down while lifting Mikasa up. He pointed in the direction of the town to tell them they were heading _home. Temporary_ home.

He didn't know how long any of this magic would hold.

He and Levi walked back side by side, Mikasa resting on Eren's head, Armin and those dogs following behind them.

Eren dried slowly in the dull evening sunlight and hated how right it felt being covered in water.

It was as they were pitching up the slight hill to the castle that Eren walked in front, turning to face Levi and stopping him in his tracks.

He didn't know what to do – there were no words to say at all.

He took the ring from the box Hanji had given him that morning and placed it in Levi's hand.

Levi looked down at his hands, shocked to see the kid had given him a ring.

"What –"

He looked up to see the boy staring at him expectantly, big green eyes trying to hold their ground and left hand extended, fingers spread apart.

He remembered Hanji saying the boy couldn't say _no_ but it seemed that wouldn't be a problem at all.

"You sure you want to?" Levi asked, "This isn't some kind of trial period; my coronation is in two days – we'd have to be married by then. That okay?" Eren nodded his head so hard his entire body seemed to bounce along with it. "Okay, okay, stay still for a second."

Eren froze up when Levi grabbed his hand, parting his fingers and sliding the ring on with light, delicate touches that seemed unbefitting of the man before him. He'd stopped breathing, felt on edge the entire time and when the ring was on he looked up into soft grey eyes.

They stared at each other for the longest time before Eren noticed he had started to draw closer. So close that he could feel the other's breath on his face. So close he could almost taste him. So close Eren could _feel_ the curse ending already –

"Hey, leave some room for sea-Jesus, highness!" Reiner said. He ran in between Eren and Levi, rushing around their legs.

"Damn dogs," Levi muttered.

Eren smiled, attempting to look playful and _not_ like he was about to have a meltdown because time was running out too fast.

Oh no but it didn't matter. They would marry tomorrow – people kissed at weddings didn't they?

He gave a small, awkward wave to the other and gestured for Armin to follow as he ran the rest of the way back up to the castle.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Back underwater Annie was watching things play out.

She hadn't expected Eren to get a proposal in just two days – nor did she expect him to practically propose himself.

Clearly there was only one thing left to do and even though she'd already attempted to cheat by sending her minions out there, Annie decided to go to the surface world herself.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Later that night Levi was standing on the veranda. Here he could get a clear view of the beach and an even better view of the stars up above him.

Each marked an end of his own world and the beginning of a whole new one.

He was just getting comfortable in the silence when Hanji made their presence known.

"I'm proud of you Levi!" they said, "I was beginning to worry you would never let yourself be happy!"

Levi sighed.

"That kid – he really is _something_ isn't he?"

"A _Merman_ Levi, be respectful."

Levi snorted. "Right, I'll believe that when I see it."

They remained in silence for a few more moments. Hanji had nothing else to say and decided to leave knowing that the prince would likely be caught in his thoughts for a lot longer. There was a lot to consider before the night ended, after all.

They headed for the door to go inside and just before they closed the door Hanji was sure they heard Levi say, " _thank you."_ They couldn't help but smile.

Levi stayed where he was a while longer. Only when he had decided to go inside did he hear singing coming from the beach.

Walking along the sand was the seawitch disguised as a human. She had a glowing shell around her neck which housed Eren's voice, though Levi wouldn't have known that. It was the same voice he'd heard the night he almost died.

Now for arguments sake let's say this beach was close enough that the two of them could simply talk without having to shout. Their eyes met and Annie smiled up at him.

"See something you like?" she asked.

Levi ignored her words, thinking it would be rude to just say _no._

"You saved my life a few nights ago," he said to explain his staring, "Thanks."

"No problem, it'd be a real loss if a cute guy like you were to die."

Annie had to fight not to jump right back into the ocean at the words she was saying. But as far as she knew this was the quickest way to warm up to a human.

Levi however, seemed to lose interest quite quickly – her magic didn't seem to affect him at all – and was about to retreat inside when she called out to him again.

"I heard you've got a princess problem," she said, "I'm due to inherit a very large kingdom – perhaps you and _I_ could be wed?"

"Wow this is awkward," Levi drawled, "we've got it sorted already – it seems travelling here was a waste of your time. If you must, you're welcome to stay the night for your troubles –" that was the polite thing to do, wasn't it?

Annie smiled deceivingly.

He was playing right into her hand.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Annie was invited into the castle, introduced briefly to the staff – mainly to Hanji who was polite but didn't particularly like her – then brushed off on Petra to be given a room.

It wasn't hard to locate Eren's room and once Annie was left alone she made her way there. Luckily the boy was still awake, waving his arms animatedly at a cat and mouse. The ring on his finger was the only thing standing between Annie and all of Atlantis.

"Oh isn't it exciting?" she said, making her presence known to the entire room.

Eren turned around, looking shocked at her sudden appearance but he soon calmed down – maybe he thought she was one of the servants – and nodded, a huge smile on his face.

Annie stepped further into the room and plopped down on Eren's bed.

"By this time tomorrow I'll be married!"

Eren paused.

He pointed to the girl – not knowing her true identity – with a questioning look.

"Oh you haven't heard?" Annie asked. "I'm getting married to prince Levi tomorrow; I _am_ a real princess after all."

Eren shook his head and held up his hand, pointing to the ring on his finger. Annie gave him a pitying look.

"Oh, I guess he's trying to let you down easy?" she suggested, "But it really would be better for everyone involved if this kingdom had a _queen_ don't you think?"

Eren opened his mouth to try and speak – if ever he needed his voice back now would be the time.

His stomach knotted up as though he were about to be sick. A lump formed in his throat and a stabbing pain hit his chest. This couldn't be happening; it had to be some kind of a joke!

"Oh dear," Annie said, reaching out for Eren only to have him back away. She could see unshed tears in his eyes as his expression melted through his thoughts.

Eren shook his head again. He couldn't breathe. He needed to leave – to get out of here – to go _anywhere._

"Eren are you –" Armin tried to ask but before he could say another word Eren was gone.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

When morning came Mikasa and Armin felt they had checked the entire kingdom. They returned to the room to await Hanji's wake up call.

They had just set foot on the bed when the door crashed open.

"Rise and shine princess," Hanji called out, only to find themself talking to an empty room. "Squish?"

" _Eren_ is gone," Armin said, knowing his words would be received as nothing more than animalistic nonsense.

"Gone? Gone where?" Hanji asked.

"You understand us?" Mikasa asked.

Hanji's eyes widened mischievously.

"No," they said.

"No?"

"No!"

Mikasa – in her tiny mouse body – stared Hanji down, glaring at them.

"Okay fine I do – now where did Squish – er _Eren_ go?"

The animal pair explained what had happened, bizarre as it may have seemed, and that Eren had run off quite quickly after.

"That's just silly!" Hanji exclaimed. "Let's go see, I'm sure Eren's out there right _now."_

They held the door open for the animals and walked beside them as they trotted downstairs. However they all came to a stop when they heard voice coming form the next room.

"Maybe he got cold feet and ran off?" Annie's said.

"If that's the case it'd be useless to track him down," that was Levi's voice, "It would be unreasonable to force him – if he really doesn't want to –" and because he genuinely can't say no.

"But you'll still need a bride," Annie pointed out.

"You know what, fine," Levi said, "I don't care anymore –let's get fucking married. This story has gone way over its original word goal, the plot is completely lost. Let's get fucking wrecked."

"I'm going to _kill_ him!" Mikasa exclaimed, "That's a _stupid_ excuse for –"

She was grabbed by Hanji who thus far had refrained from breaking the forth wall as they usually did in these fairy tales.

"Let's go fine Eren," They said, "The author doesn't have enough words to spare for your maternal instincts."

Bear with me, we'll now skip to the wedding ship leaving – and we won't go into how ridiculous it is to have a wedding on a boat like come on, hey were pictured on a boat maybe two times so far and now they're getting married on one?

Anywho, Eren was found near the docks by the concerned trio, watching the ship sail off. Conveniently Armin had figured out that the woman Levi was marrying was the seawitch Annie. He explained this to Eren who seemed to become characteristically angry – seconds later Jean came to share the same information only to be informed that he was too late.

Eren was prepared to jump into the ocean and _swim_ out to the boat but Hanji stopped him at Armin's insistence that he was a shitty swimmer.

"Okay, I've got a plan," Armin said when Eren was calmed down enough to talk to. "Hanji will take you to the ship on like a rowboat or something while Jean finds a way to stall the wedding. Meanwhile Mikasa and I will travel back to Atlantis so the climax of this story doesn't have to take place underwater."

"Yeah, that would be troublesome," Hanji agreed.

"How are we supposed to get back to Atlantis like this?" Mikasa asked.

Armin sighed.

"Just –" he pushed Mikasa into the ocean and in a flash of light she had regained her crab form.

Armin was right about to jump in too when Eren stopped him. He pointed between himself and Armin then used two fingers to simulate legs.

"I'm sorry," Armin said, "But I was never meant for the surface world – _I'll miss you too if we get out of this."_

Eren had no choice but to let him go.

Hanji cackled madly as water sloshed into the boat – they'd managed to find a boat during the small exchange and had forced Eren in – soaking their shoes and Eren's feet. He didn't care; too busy worrying that the sun was starting to set.

He was so preoccupied by worry that he didn't notice the unnaturally large horde of birds and various sea life heading towards the ship, though he _did_ hear the screams of it's passengers. He would've found it hilarious on any other day.

Hanji brought the boat close enough to the ship and helped Eren get up, gripping the side of the ship.

"Good work," they said.

Eren nodded determinedly.

He climbed up the side of the ship, his legs still clumsy but steady enough to get up. His dress was soaked, his feet bare and dirty, his hair a complete mess. Doubt struck him for a moment – could he really win Levi like this? But really he'd been no better prepared these last few days, had he?

He conveniently landed on deck just as Jean managed to wrestle the shell off of Annie's neck. It broke and Eren felt his voice flow back through him.

"Brat?" Levi asked, looking interested for the first time during his entire wedding.

"Eren," the boy said, "My name is Eren."

"Oh great, he's got his annoying voice back," Jean said.

"Shut up birdbrain!"

The guests began watch curiously, a one-sided argument between this random kid in a dress and a bird. What a wedding this was turning out to be!

The sun was setting. Annie motioned for the minister to wrap up the ceremony. Levi would have no use for Eren if he were already married. The minister said his final words, now all that was left to do was –

Eren's entire world crumbled watching Annie steal the kiss that was meant to be his and securing that eternal – more or less – bond of marriage.

It was over now. He had _lost._

Annie had a wicked look on her face when she pulled away – from literally the briefest kiss ever, she didn't need a human getting attached to her or anything.

"Oh Eren, you made it so far!" she said, her voice back to what it had been before. "But I still won."

"You cheated!" Eren hissed.

Annie shook her head.

"Nope! Not once did I say I wouldn't interrupt. This is a game where souls are the currency; I can't afford to squander my bets."

She clicked her fingers and a contract appeared, Eren's name scrawled at the bottom.

"Oh and look at that! Upon failure to complete your end of the deal – that being scoring a kiss from this here prince – I will effectively own your soul for all eternity!"

"Not so fast Annie!"

The ocean seemed to part as the merking Erwin rose to the surface for the first time in like, ever.

"So kind of you to show up," Annie drawled, "For your precious sons funeral."

"Annie you can't do this!"

"Actually I _can_. This contract _is_ legally binding and completely legit."

Erwin cast a glare towards his son who shrank back slightly mumbling _I'm sorry._

On the side-lines Levi stood with his mouth agape, his eyes somewhat wide.

"Holy shit, what did I almost marry into?"

Annie had grabbed Eren by the hair and was dragging his towards the side of the ship. "come along now highness, a deal is a deal."

"Annie wait!" Erwin said, "I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"I'm sorry, but I only deal in _souls."_

"Then have mine."

"Daddy no!"

Eren's cry was ignored.

Annie thrust the contract in Erwin's face. "Sign here please."

Erwin looked away and scratched his name over Eren's. his soul was sucked from his body, shrinking him to a pathetic sea broccoli.

Annie caught his trident in mid air as the final light of the sun disappeared along the horizon.

Annie took back her true form, the ship cracking beneath her weight as she used her new, powerful magic to swell her size unnaturally. At the same time her previous magic had drained and Eren lost his legs, ending up once again with a tail.

Clouds gathered, rain and lightning fell, and waves began to grow mountainous. If Eren had just stayed underwater none of this would've happened; the _true_ moral of this story.

Annie lifted Eren by his tail, hanging him upside down.

"Look at it!" she exclaimed, "All of this – I couldn't have done it without _you!"_

"Let me go!" Eren screamed, "Annie."

"Not yet," Annie practically sang, not that you could tell, "First watch me take away everything you were fighting for, starting with –"

Annie had tried to point down at the ship only to see it had changed course – most people still clinging to it for their lives – and had only enough time to scream before the pointy end – or _bow_ as a quick google search has likely misinformed this poor author – pierced her stomach, _somehow, magically_ defeating her.

And because this was meant to be a kid friendly tale in a time when children apparently couldn't handle an abundance of dark themes, she didn't have a final form.

Just like that the worse was over.

щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

Flash forward to the next morning.

All souls had been restored.

Reiner and Bertholdt were unaccounted for – but for the readers sake let's say they maintained their dog forms and ran away together.

Armin and Mikasa remained in their ocean dwelling bodies, as did Eren.

Somehow, _miraculously_ the wedding guests had managed to survive – Hanji had done their part and saved the day after the day had already been saved.

Levi was now sat on the beach while Eren was perched on a large rock, waves crashing around him. They stared at each other, each immersed in a world the other could scarcely enter. Neither spoke or tried to close the gap.

"Eren really loves him, huh?" Armin asked.

"Yeah," Mikasa replied, "It's… _sad."_

They looked up at Erwin who turned his head.

"No way am I letting my little boy –" he looked up and saw Eren, still perched on the rock, waving a sad goodbye as Levi was dragged away by an equally sad Hanji.

Suddenly the whole ocean was weighed down with the princes misery.

"– _suffer_ when there's something I can do."

Eren felt magic envelope him for the second time. He felt his tail disappear and looked back at his father.

Erwin mouthed _I love you_ only to have Eren jump into the water and hug him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Eren exclaimed, "I'm so sorry – but thank you!"

Erwin laughed.

"Go," he said, "you can always visit. We'll always be there for you."

Eren nodded and ran out of the ocean, tripping over clumsy land legs and _screaming_ each time he fell.

"Levi!" he called. He slowed his pace, wanting to appear somewhat cool this time. "H-hey, Levi –"

"Eren?"

Levi looked the boy up and down, seeing him for the first time all over again. "What –"

"I'll give the two of you some space, "Hanji said. They walked away a bit and turned to wink at Eren before continuing on their way.

Eren looked down at his feet and shifted awkwardly for a moment.

"So I uh, I have legs – for _real_ now, no strings attached," he said.

Levi nodded.

"And I guess I _was_ technically married for five minutes."

"So I don't need that kiss."

"And I don't need a bride."

They stared at each other for a while, green boring into grey for the longest time.

Eren had never felt so flustered in his life.

He opened his mouth to speak only to have his words swallowed into a kiss.

"You talk too much," Levi breathed, pressing their foreheads together. "Don't worry about the details; we have the rest of our lives to figure it out."


End file.
